Israel pushes deeper into Gaza as civilian death toll soars

Palestinians are bracing for another wave of devastation after Israel’s Security Cabinet approved a plan to take over Gaza City — one of the last major population centres not yet turned into a buffer zone or forced under evacuation orders.

The announcement, made early Friday by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, comes nearly 22 months into a war that has already killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, displaced over two million people, and reduced much of Gaza to rubble. Human rights groups and international agencies warn that the latest plan could trigger mass displacement, block aid deliveries, and deepen a humanitarian catastrophe already verging on famine.

While Israel claims the goal is to dismantle Hamas and “secure the area,” critics argue the operation risks the lives of the 20 remaining Israeli hostages — as well as countless Palestinian civilians who remain trapped inside a sealed, starving territory.

Palestinian residents say there is little left to destroy. “There is no Gaza left,” said Maysaa Al-Heila, who now lives in a makeshift camp after fleeing her home. “Everywhere is death.”

The United Nations, Doctors Without Borders, and other humanitarian groups have repeatedly warned that Israeli military operations — including those near aid distribution sites — have led to mass civilian casualties. In the past month alone, dozens have been killed while trying to access food.

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, at least 42 Palestinians were killed on Thursday in airstrikes and military fire, including 13 people who were seeking aid in an Israeli-controlled zone. Aid groups say the violence is not isolated. Médecins Sans Frontières recently reported that hundreds have been shot or injured while scrambling for food near sites controlled by the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which Palestinians and UN officials accuse of weaponising aid access.

As Netanyahu’s far-right coalition pushes for broader control of Gaza, critics say the military objectives are increasingly detached from humanitarian realities — and risk violating international law. Former Israeli security officials have also spoken out, warning that the Gaza City operation is politically driven, with little strategic value and devastating costs.

Despite international condemnation, Netanyahu insists that Israel does not intend to reoccupy Gaza but wants to install friendly Arab forces. Yet, there is no sign of a willing regional partner, and Palestinians on the ground see the rhetoric as cover for further displacement and control.

With nearly all of Gaza’s population now reliant on foreign aid for survival — and growing pressure on Egypt to keep its border sealed — Palestinians fear that the final stage of the war could result in even more suffering, with no political resolution in sight.